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Also Available in the ALLEVYN Life Range

ALLEVYN Life Sacrum has a unique tail designed specifically for wounds in the sacral area and fits around the cleft, to help overcome common problems such as the dressing tenting. The dressing has been designed following observational ethnographic research with patients and clinicians who have experience of sacral wounds.

ALLEVYN Life Heel has a unique design and is the only heel dressing to provide coverage to the malleolus without the need for secondary retention.

Technology

We conducted over 50 hours of in-depth interviews and observational sessions with patients and involved over 850 clinicians from around the world.

From this research we now know that complete wound care means far more than just physical healing, particularly to patients living with their wounds 24/7:

Leakage, visible strikethrough and odour can be embarrassing and stigmatising 1,2

Poor cushioning from knocks and bumps can cause fear and pain 1,2

Dressings that don’t stay in place and fall off are highly frustrating 1,2

Frequent dressing changes and slow wound healing cause anxiety 1,2

This inspired the development of ALLEVYN Life which is a multi-layered dressing incorporating hydrocellular foam, hyper-absorber lock away core and masking layer designed specifically for people and their everyday life.

Mode of Action

Discretion Layer for Patient Confidence

The masking layer minimises the visual impact of strikethrough3, providing the patient with confidence that their dressing may not attract the negative attention of others.

The masking layer acts as a change indicator which optimises dressing change frequency4 and minimises wastage.

How does ALLEVYN Life's Performance Compare?

*Tested on MepilexTM Border

Lock-away Layer Providing Patient Peace of Mind

In addition to its hydrocellular foam layer, ALLEVYN Life has a hyper-absorber lock away core providing excellent fluid locking under pressure5(in-vitro), absorbs common wound odours when tested (in-vitro) on representative compounds6 and provides the patient with peace of mind leakage prevention5, (in-vitro).

How does ALLEVYN Life's Performance Compare?

*Tested on Mepilex Border

Cushioning Layer for Maximum Protection

ALLEVYN Life’s multi-layered design (hydrocellular foam, hyper-absorber lock away core and masking layer) provides cushioning and helps to spread pressure7(in-vitro) so the patients can feel comforted that they are cushioned against everyday trauma.8

Evidence

Clinical Performance and Positive Impact on Patient Wellbeing of ALLEVYN Life

ALLEVYN Life has been designed to incorporate specific dressing features designed to address key wound related issue of wellbeing. This article evaluates the clinical performance of ALLEVYN Life, as well as its ability to address the real life issues facing patients living with wounds, and assesses its impact on patient wellbeing.

The Clinical Performance of a Silicone Foam in an NHS Community Trust

The NHS spends the majority of its budget on labour costs and it could be argued that frontline staff such as community nurses are the organisation’s most valuable resource. However, optimal wound care is dependent upon effective patient engagement, the application of clinical expertise and access to wound management products. The tension between increasing demands for services and the number of nurses is already causing problems in care provision as staff cuts and excessive workload inevitably endanger patient care. Enhancing efficiency through the use of innovative products will become essential in the future if nurses are to continue to provide expert care against a backdrop of cost-savings. This article details the appraisal process undertaken within Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust to investigates the in-practice clinical performance of a silicone foam dressing, ALLEVYN Life.

Jackie Stephen-Haynes et al. Journal of Community Nursing, November 2013

Improving Patient Wellbeing Through Dressing Choice

This webcast is introduced by Professor Keith Harding CBE, and includes presentations from Trudie Young and Tarnia Harrison. Tarnia Harrison, a tissue viability nurse specialist, talks about the importance of improving patient wellbeing through dressing choice and share some of her experience with using ALLEVYN Life.

Instructions for Use

Full and partial thickness wounds such as pressure ulcers, leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers

Malignant wounds

Surgical wounds

First and second degree burns

Donor sites

Skin tears

Fungating ulcers

ALLEVYN Life may be used on infected wounds. Where the product is used on infected wounds, the wounds should be treated as per local clinical protocol.

Application

To apply ALLEVYN Life follow the steps below:

Cleanse the wound in accordance with local clinical protocol.

Select an appropriate dressing size.

Prepare and clean the skin surrounding the wound area and remove excess moisture. Any excess hair should be clipped to ensure close approximation to the wound.

Using a clean technique remove one of the protector films from ALLEVYN Life and anchor the adhesive side of the dressing to the skin. Smooth the dressing over the wound ensuring there are no creases. When positioning ALLEVYN Life Sacrum dressings, place the narrow end of the dressing a minimum of 2cm (3/4in.) above the anal sphincter, then smooth the dressing over the sacrum.

Remove the remaining protector film and smooth the dressing over the remainder of the wound without stretching, ensuring no creases. Only the pad area of the dressing must be adhered across the entire surface of the wound.

ALLEVYN Life can be used to dress awkward areas such as elbows; the dressing corner lobes can be overlapped when positioning the dressing, ensuring no creasing or stretching occurs.

Application: Flat

Application: Joint

Application: Heel

Application: Sacrum

When to Change

Dressings can be left in place undisturbed for up to 7 days, except the sacral area where dressings can be left in place for up to 5 days, depending on the condition of the wound and the surrounding skin, or until exudate covers more than 50% of the absorbent pad outside of the central screen.

The above is guidance and the decision of when to change should be dependent upon clinical assessment and local protocols should also be taken into consideration.

If dressings are applied to the sacral area, due to the increased potential for contamination and infection in this area, increased monitoring of dressing adherence may be required as per local clinical protocols.

Dressing Removal

To remove ALLEVYN Life, lift the edge of the dressing and slowly peel back until completely removed from the wound. ALLEVYN Life Sacrum should be removed from the top edge down towards the anus to minimise the potential for faecal contamination.